Foot-arch support.



4J7. ANGUS.

FOOT ARCH SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28. I913. RENEWED MAR. 6. 19m.

Patented Oct 10, 1916.

igjmsssfs an 4v mm "1 m% JAMES ANGUS, OF CORONA, YORK.

FOOT-ARCH SUPPORT.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

Application filed November 28, 1913, Serial No. 803,609. Renewed March 6, 1916. Serial No. 82,466.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, J AMES ANoUs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Corona, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foot- Arch Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a support for the arch of the human foot, and the primary object thereof is to provide a construction of this nature which is capable of being adjusted to the shape and location of the arch, so as to suit the individual wearers needs.

A further object of my invention is to provide an arch-support which is formed to engage the ball of the wearers foot adjacent to the middle of the same, whereby the sides of the ball will be free to rest upon the sole of the shoe and the ease and comfort of the wearer enhanced, and the support likewise secured in central position.

Further objects and advantages will appear from the accompanying description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, whereon the same reference characters'indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

On said drawings Figure 1 is a top plan; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of my invention; Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing only the surface lying in the plane of section, and illustrating the parts in the positions they occupy when the arch is in the wearers shoe; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig.1.

arch-support comprises a body 1, which is rounded at one end 2, and tapers at the opposite end to a point 3. The rounded end 2 is the heel portion of the support, and the point 3 is the front end thereof. This point 3 forms a centrally located tapering projection which engages the lower side of the ball of the foot adjacent the middle, and leaves space on either side of it for the sides of the ball to rest upon the sole of the wearers shoe, for a purpose that will appear later. The body 1 is also provided with a lateral projection 5 which is located so as to engage the inner side of the wearers foot when the support is in position; and cooperating with this projection 5 is a member 4 which can be adjusted forward or backward according to the shape or location of the arch, and thus be made to suit the needs of the'individual wearer. This member 4 is preferably secured to the body 1 by means of a rivet 6. Any kind of suitable rivet will do, and I place the rivet about the middle of the body 1, but to one side of the centrallongitudinal axis thereof; that is the rivet is located near the lateral edge 7 opposite the projection 5, this edge being slightly concave to correspond with the outline of the foot, as shown. The member 4 has in general the shape of a pear, the pivoted end being the smaller end, and it extends across the body 1 almost to the outer edge of the projection 5. This projection can be swung towardthe end 2 or the end 3, the broken line on Fig. 2 indicating the latter position, and makes the support fit the arch perfectly.

The lower side of the body 1 is beveled along the edges as shown at 8, and the lower side of the member 4 is similarly beveled as shown at 9. The-converging edges at the front of the body which form the projection 3 are indicated by the numerals 10 and 11. As shown on Fig. 4, the projection 5 and the member 4 securedto the lower face of the body 1 are curved up to fit the hollow of the foot, where the arch is located and the movement of the member 4 to the front or rear lifts the proper portion of the body when the support is put into a shoe to carry the arch in the most comfortable manner.

The utility and advantage of my invem tion will now be clear. The rounded end 2 contacts with the back of the shoe, and the body rests upon the sole thereof, causing the projection 3 to be situated past the middle of the foot toward the front of the same. If the arch of the foot is relatively far to the front, the member 4-is first shifted to the front to the required extent before the shoe is fastened; if the arch is more to the rear, the member 4 isjmoved back accordingly. Thus the arch is held upin the most efficient manner. The body 1 is raised at the exact part which ought to be raised; and can be suited to the outlineof the hollow of the foot of the individual wearer. When in position, the projection 5 will extend up the side of the shoe a slight'distance.

If desired I may make the edges of the member 4 beveledso as to be steeper than the beveled edges of the body 1. This applies especially, to the edges of the member 4 which extend crosswise of the body 1. The effect of this way of beveling will be to cause the support to have a tendency to keep the member 4 in proper position. Naturally the pressure of the foot on the raised part of the body 1 will tend to squeeze the member 4 toward the middle of the hollow or arch, and with the edges of the member 4 beveled as described, the member 4 can the more readily respond to this pressure and move accordingly.

I also wish to call attention to the shape of the body 1 at the front. The tapering projection 3 will engage the ball near the middle of the same; and any one can see by examination that the ball of the foot has a hollow therein extending from the back part forward, and lying approximately in central position. This hollow marks the location of the front end of the central nerve of the foot, which has branches running into all the toes. The portion of the ball at the base of the great toe lies upon one side of this hollow, and the rest of the ball lies upon the other side. The projection 3 fits this hollow and lies in it when the arch is worn; that is the projection 3 will be in line with the hollow in question and the tip of the projection will run forward into it to a greater or less degree. The hollow is triangular, and does not divide the ball of the foot into separated portions but only indents it from the back as is well known. When the foot rests upon my arch-support, the converging edges 10 and 11 leave the sole of the shoe uncovered on both sides of the projection 3, and the ball of the foot on both sides of the projection 8 comes into direct contact with the sole. In other words the arch-support takes up little or no space in front of the hollow in the middle of the foot where the arch is, and consequently does not crowd the ball of the foot upward. This means that the ball of the foot will have the greatest possible amount of room to move or work around in; a fact of considerable importance when it is remembered that people who have weak or fallen arches are generally afflicted with corns, bunions, and the like and cannot endure shoes that are tight at any point. Furthermore the projection 3, engaging the ball of the foot in the manner set forth above, tends also to hold the support in position along the central longitudinal axis of the shoe; and obviates any tendency to lateral displacement. Of course the body 1 will be made to fit the shoe snugly, and the support could not get displaced laterally without climbing, so to speak, the sides of the shoe. Once the support is properly placed in the shoe and engaged by the wearers foot, all likelihood of the support getting out of position is practically eliminated.

In practice I prefer to make my arch support of leather, which is rigid, yet flexible enough for my purpose. But I of course do not wish to limit myself to leather, as any other suitable substance may be used.

From the above description of my invention it will be clear that I have produced a very simple and' practical device, that has all the advantages desired. The support can be made to fit the arch snugly, according to the shape and location thereof, and to keep any adjustment that may be given to it by moving the member 4. It also, as above set forth, will remain in proper position, owing to its peculiar shape and construction.

I of course do not wish to restrict myself to the exact details of my invention as presented in the embodiment thereof herein described; this specification discloses but one form of my inventive idea, and I desire to reserve to myself the right to make such changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts as are within the scope and spirit of my improvement, as defined in the claims appended hereto.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new and desire to secure and. protect by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A foot-arch support comprising a body, and means ivotally secured to the body adjacent to the middle thereof, whereby the support can be adapted to suit the shape and the location of the hollow of the wearers foot.

2. A foot-arch support comprising a body and a pear-shaped member pivotally secured to the underside of the same, the adjustment of said member permitting the support to suit itself to the shape and location of the hollow of the wearers foot.

3. A foot-arch support comprising a body having a lateral upturned projection, and a pivoted member associated with said projection, whereby the support can be made to adapt itself to the shape and location of the hollow of the wearers foot.

4. A foot-arch support comprising a body having a centrally located tapering projection at its front end, said projection being '115 arranged to engage the ball of the wearers foot adjacent the middle thereof, and leaving the sides of the ball free to rest upon the sole of the wearers shoe, and a member pivot-ally secured to the body, whereby the support can be suited to the shape and location of the hollow of the foot of the wearer.

5. A foot-arch support comprising a body having a centrally located tapering projection at its front end, said projection being arranged to engage the ball of the wearers foot adjacent the middle thereof, and leaving the sides of the ball free to rest upon the sole of the wearers shoe, said body also having a lateral upturned projection, and a 1 pear-shaped member pivotally secured at its Signed at New York, in the county of smaller end to the lower side of the body, New York and State of New York, this and extending across the some, to cooperate 22nd day of November, A. D. 1918.

with the lateral projection, whereby the JAMES ANGUS. support can be suited to the shape and 10- Witnesses:

cation of the hollow of the foot of the v GUSTAV RAsMUs,

wearer. HENRY E. PETERMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

